In our media-saturated contemporary world, separating the good from the not so good is fast becoming a task too great for each of us to handle individually. In this section Pulp Fiction Comics' growing army of reviewers tell you, straight up and uncensored, what they thought about what they bought -- comics, graphic novels, movies and more.

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Neverwhere #1 & #2

Writer: Mike Carey
Artist: Glenn Fabry
Publisher: DC comics

Reviewed by Jess

Neil Gaiman's Sandman series has been a much loved tradition in fantasy tales for many years; now comes another Gaiman property, this time in the form of Neverwhere. This was originally told as a TV show, the comic version is being written by Hellblazer and Lucifer scribe Mike Carey.

Richard Mayhew is a man with what seems to be the perfect life. He has a well paid job, and has a gorgeous girlfriend. All this changes when he sees a strange woman laying on the ground while on his way to dinner with his girlfriend. This starts a chain reaction of events that leads Richard into all sorts of danger and it looks like richard may lose verything from one good samaritan act.

Glenn Fabry best known for his front cover artwork on Preacher provides some great artwork on these issues and shows he's still got it. If you're a lover of fantasy and can look above the fact that although this is Gaiman's idea, but he's not the one writing it, then you're in for a real treat.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere Issues #1-4

Writer: Mike Carey
Artist: Glenn Fabry
Publisher: DC/Vertigo

Reviewed by Jess

Neverwhere first started life as a tv show shown in the UK many years ago. Now Hellblazer and Lucifer scribe Mike Carey brings it to a whole new level as a comic book mini series.

For me to go into the plot would be almost impossible as this series is extremly confusing. I've been reading the Sandman trades that Neil Gaiman is famous for writing and this honestly reads nothing like anything Gaiman would write. There are some fun characters though, such as the Marquis de Carabas and the mysterious woman known as Door with a keyhole tattoo over one eye.

The characters seem very much Gaiman's but sadly the story is all Carey's and it's not that good.

Glenn Fabry does provide nice artwork though, which is at least one good thing about this book

Rating: 6 out of 10

New Avengers #1

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: David Finch
Publisher: Marvel

Review by Christopher Franks

The creative team that comprehensively and controversially disassembled the 'old' Avengers is back for the heavily promoted revamp of one of Marvel's flagship titles. Writer Brian Michael Bendis and penciller David Finch have been working together since beginning their run on synergy developed in this time is obvious in an excellent debut issue.

The somewhat standard prison breakout premise is developed into an engaging script through Bendis' trademark dynamic pacing and strong characterisation, with a last page reveal that suggests a very different take on a major character than I expected. Finch's art has largely shed the Marc Silvestri influence of his earlier work in a favour of a much grittier personal style, with appropriately dense inks from the always reliable Danny Miki. Frank D'Armata's colours also play a significant role in establishing a surprisingly dark tone, with the creepy glow cast by Electro over a gathering of villains particularly effective.

The function of New Avengers is similar to that of Grant Morrison's highly successful New X-Men: use big-name creative talent and considerable attendant hype to renew general interest in a once-popular creative property that has grown too insular to be broadly accessible. Many an eyebrow has been raised over the considerable reworking of the
core Avengers concept, but this dramatic and accessible opening installment suggests the gamble will pay off handsomely.

Rating: 8 out of 10

New Avengers #4

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: David Finch
Publisher: Marvel

Review by Christopher Franks

The nascent New Avengers begin their investigation into the Ryker's Island prison breakout, while still negotiating among themselves how the new superhero team will operate. A fast-paced script plays to writer Brian Michael Bendis' strengths in characterisation and dialogue, while David Finch continues to demonstrate there is more to his art than
exquisitely detailed linework.

Early scenes featuring a discussion with SHIELD and the team pooling their resources to track down the culprits of the breakout indicate Bendis has put much thought into how the New Avengers will interact both internally and with the Marvel universe as a whole, making the idea of a group of superheroes hanging out in their penthouse headquarters and flying around in a private jet seem far less silly than it really should be. In contrast to the more introspective character work of titles such as Daredevil he also keeps this book moving at a fair pace, not afraid to resolve one plot point quickly so as to efficiently open up a number more.

Artist David Finch broke into the industry as one of Marc Silvestri's proteges at Top Cow, but his recent work for Marvel and this issue in particular illustrate how quickly the student has surpassed the teacher. Through his command of visual storytelling experienced leaders such as Captain America and Iron Man are bold figures, dominating most panels in which they appear, while rookie team player Spider-Man is frequently positioned off-centre, partially out of frame or blocked by shoulders or other objects, subtly reinforcing his continuing uncertainty in the team environment.

I'm generally not a fan of team books, but the sheer individual talent of Bendis and Finch and the level of quality and vision they bring to New Avengers has made it one of my top monthly reads.

Rating: 8/10

The Necromancer #1

Writer: Joshua Ortega
Pencils: Francis Manapul
Colours: Brian Buccellato
Publisher: Image/Top Cow

Reviewed by Jack

This story’s first three pages were previewed in the back of Freshmen #1 in July. The art, inking and colouring were all beautiful, and the story showed us an interesting relationship between a girl and a perverted demon. It was intriguing and definitely made me pick the issue up when it was released in early August.

And without giving too much away, the next couple of pages after the first three were also great. We’re briefly thrust 300 years into the past to witness supernatural struggles. But then comes the origin footage of our teenage protagonist, and the issue slows down measurably. So much so that the only thing keeping me turning the pages was the hope that things would pick back up again. They kind of didn’t, but the end was satisfying enough to give me the impression that the issues to follow will be faster paced with more action. And I’m surprised to hear myself say that because I love dialogue and backstory, but that’s not what I wanted to see here. I’m a patient man, and as long as I can afford it, I’m still free of cynicism.

However I did really want to like this book more than I did. The story definitely has promise – the idea of a teenage girl destroying her friends and family, by accident, has a certain amount of appeal – and I have every intention of seeing the series through because of that promise. But as a stand alone issue, the story didn’t have the ooommph I was looking for. Maybe I’m getting used to seeing that origin story in later issues, when I’m really wanting it and my curiousity is burning, but here it just slowed the story down far too much.

The art in this issue is beautiful, the coloring fantastic. It really did save the book and makes it exciting to see what the team will do. I don’t read many magic/fantasy based comicbooks, and I hope future issues of this series will change that for me.

Verdict: 7/10

New Thunderbolts #7

Writer: Fabian Niciezia
Artist: Tom Grummett & Bill Sienkiewicz
Publisher: Marvel

Reviewed by Jess

While so far I've enjoyed this series about a group of marvel vllains who pretended to be heroes, with this issue I find that enjoyment waning as a more reflective story is told in this issue. The thunderbolts having defeated Baron Strucker catch up on their personal lives and decisions are made that will hurt the team.

There's very little action in this story to really keep the casual reader intereste, and while the artwork from Tom Grummett is nice, he only does a few pages, leaving the rest to former new mutants artist Bill Sienkiewicz and unfortunately his murky artwork looks dreadful.

I'm hoping with grummett returning to full art chores next issue that things will pick up once more.

Rating: 4 out of 10

The Next #1

Writer: Tad Williams
Artist: Dietrich Smith
Publisher: DC

Reviewed by Jess

'Will they save the universe......or destroy it??" That's what's on the cover to this first issue that kicks off a new six-issue mini-series, a very unusual series at that. So unusual that after reading this issue I thought to myself, "What the heck did Ijust read?!"

A bunch of shapeless aliens are travelling through what appears to be some other dimension when one of their kind decides to leave the pack and explore Earth. Once this thing arrives on Earth it takes the form of a dog, but not just any kind of dog - a dog whose insides are clearly visible. When a young girl befriends this creature she is ultimately killed, but the other members of this alien race have also travelled to Earth in search of their companion and give up part of their life force to save this girl.

It sounds ludicrous to me when describing this plot (or at least attempting to) and if you read the issue you realise how bad this is. None of the characters, either the aliens or the girl are particularly interesting, and the art is nothing special either.

Putting Superman on the cover(and towards the end of the issue) is done clearly to get those Superman fans to pick this book up.

I'm not at all sure who the artist Dietrich Smith is; I'm pretty certain that I haven't seen his work recently. His art style reminds me of an artist whose name escapes me- I'm thinking it's similar to Ron Garney's work, but I could very well be wrong.

Don't be fooled by a cover featuring what looks to be a constipated Superman- this is not something I'd recommend. If a library picks it up, borrow it, but don't buy it, that's my advice.

I can't give this a very high rating at all.

Rating: 1 out of 10

NextWave #1

Warren Ellis: Writer
Stuart Immonen: Artist
Publisher: Marvel

Reviewed by Jess

Want a book that's going to make you laugh till you suffer breathing difficulties and need an ambulance? Are you a fan of B-Grade characters? Is that a yes I hear?

Well then this book is for you.

Warren Ellis (best known for creepy photos of himself in Wizard magazine) has come out with an absolute gem of a title called Nextwave, in which a group of long forgotten heroes are brought back into the spotlight for us all to laugh at and ridicule until they vanish back to the comics limbo they came from. This book is so funny that if your friends don't wanna find out what's so funny, they'll report you to the nearest mental facility for thinking you've lost your marbles laughing so loud in public- and who doesn't want that!

Simply put Nextwave has one of the strongest starts on the comics competition this year and if you don't pick this book up then you'll just never have a proper healthy life because as we all know, laughter is good for you.

Rating: 10 out of 10

newuniversal #3

Writer: Warren Ellis
Art: Salvador Larroca, Jason Keith
Publisher: Marvel

For mature readers (violence)

Reviewed by Adam White

On another Earth much like our own but with a few subtle historic differences, a bizarre celestial event has resulted in the re-emergence of a class of super-powered humans. In response, the US National Security Agency activates Project Spitfire to deal with this evolutionary threat.

Cast your mind back to the Marvel comics of the 1980s under the guidance of Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter. To celebrate Marvel's 25 th anniversary, Shooter proposed a radical idea – the creation of an all new, all different comic universe with none of the existing trappings of the standard Marvel U, and a stronger focus on sci-fi and drama rather than traditional super-heroics – the New Universe. Eager-eyed comic geeks of the time gravitated between excitement and confusion at the idea, which emerged as an eclectic bunch of books that never really seemed to mature into their full potential, and suffered from numerous direction-changes and retcons. Industry lore maintains that the project didn't receive the budget and support it deserved from Marvel's top management – who seemed just as perplexed by the line as the readers. By 1989 virtually all attempts to maintain the New Universe had petered out in favour of products that built on the characters and ideas from the original Marvel Universe of Stan Lee and his less shamelessly self-promoting collaborators.

Then in 2006, somewhat unexpectedly, Marvel decided to have another crack at the New Universe, perhaps inspired by DC Comics' SEVEN SOLDIERS event, in which a top-shelf British writer was assigned a bunch of under-utilized properties and instructed to do whatever he wanted to make them a hit. In this case, the job falls on Warren “PLANETARY” Ellis who has re-envisioned the New U as a single series, rebooting the stories of characters who originally appeared in their own titles as an interconnected whole. Reading newuniversal, you can't help but think the hit TV show Heroes served as a model for this concept.

So, with the ghost of Heroes hovering above it, newuniversal #3 proceeds to work within what may be the new zeitgeist of superhero comics, a more restrained, sophisticated and dramatic take on the genre in which people with abilities find themselves at odds with themselves and world around them, while facing the challenge of a powerful destiny (see also X-FACTOR). Think early Spider-Man without the costume. There are no super-villians here, just the world as we know it with competing agendas and incompatible philosophies. Believable and likable characters are essential for this approach to work, and Ellis does not disappoint. Nostalgics should be satisfied by the inclusion of old characters and their trappings, but prior knowledge of the old New U is not required or even that helpful - this is not a sequel but a total reboot; It's an all new New Universe (OK – spoiler time: Jenny Swann and Professor Voight are going to become sworn enemies, but you could probably work that out from their archetypal relationship anyway).

Befitting the tone, Larocca's art strives for realism within a cinematic layout, and Keith's thick, paint-like colours flesh out the people while under-stating their environments. Light and shade are used to particularly good effect in several scenes, and violent action is engagingly conveyed. Like most Serious Works of Graphic Literature, there are no sound effects. The use of mixed case lettering in speech balloons also serves to emphasise that this is not a “normal” super-hero book.

As a stand-alone issue, #3 is perhaps not that impressive. Nearly half the pages are devoted to a very one-sided fight (massacre is probably a better term) between Justice and a gang of petty thugs. A couple of key characters are notably absent, although their presence is still felt. The nature of the many-characters-many-threads story telling makes individual issues almost meaningless on their own, but fortunately the book does not suffer from “de-compression” syndrome, where monthly issues do little to advance the plot of the ongoing story. Rather, the issue is a readable and engrossing episode in an unfolding experience, and should be more than sufficient to tide you over until next month (and back issues of #1 and 2 should still be available from your local friendly comic shop!) The traditional “last page cliffhanger” is a non-event and feels rather weak. The issues does a good job of establishing the abnormality of the Latvian archaeological site, but then we are supposed to get excited about the discovery of yet another anomaly, a vague and almost pedestrian one at that?

This comic is unashamedly dramatic and takes itself very seriously, but with a minimum of angst. There's no time for levity in this tale of modern-day real-world weirdness, where carnage rules out comedy. It's gritty but not grim, and successfully avoids the clichés and pitfalls of both the ‘90s violent comics ex/implosion and Silver-Age/Bronze Age wackiness in order to deliver another instalment in a compelling tale of people, powers and potentials.

7/10

Nightwing #118
"One Year Later" Begins

Writer: Bruce Jones
Artist: Joe Dodd
Publisher: DC

Reviewed by Jess

It's the start of an entirely new direction for this title as Bruce Jones (Hulk and Man-bat) comes onboard to tell the story of Nightwing one year later, after the events of Infinite Crisis.

There's a new nightwing in town, and it's not Dick Grayson, which leaves Dick wondering who this new vigilante is. Bruce Jones has been writing comics for almost as long as I've been reading them and while I enjoyed his run on Hulk for Marvel, this issue doesn't fill me with much confidence. I wouldn't say it's bad, just that it's more of a "setting up the status quo" story.

As I've mentioned with previous "One Year Later" reviews that I've been doing there's absolutely no mention as to where Nightwing has been in that year long gap, probably to get us to buy 52 when it comes it, or I could just be an old cynic.

Either way, this is a fairly average story, and I'll most likely give this an arc or two to see where the book is headed.

5 out of 10

Noble Causes #21

Writer: Jay Faerber
Penciller: Jon Bosco
Inks & Colours: Ron Riley
Publisher: Image

Reviewed by Wazsa

I picked this comic to review as I haven't seen or read it before.

Jumping in at issue 21 was a risk but in this case one worth taking.

This is what I worked out: there are two families, the Nobles and the Blackthornes. The Nobles are the good guys and the Blackthornes are "reformed" bad guys. At least one of the Blackthornes appears to be secretly in league with the Nobles.

It was easy to work out most things that are happening in the comic with the exception of one scene that seems to relate to a previous issue graphically. The use of images of the homes of the different people in the comic to show where things are happening is a good thing as well.

The writing is solid. The artwork is consistent and it's easy to recognise characters page after page, so for a first time reader that was useful.

Rating: 7 out of 10

The OMAC Project #1

Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Jesus Saiz
Publisher: DC

Review by Christopher Franks

Opening just moments after the controversial end of DC Countdown, The OMAC Project #1 promises an espionage thriller centred on Checkmate and the Brother Eye spy satellite but falters in assuming a little too much prior knowledge of some of the characters and continuity involved.Core DC writer Greg Rucka's tight script creates an impressive degree of tension, and works well with the theme of surveillance and the intrinsically unnerving idea of being watched. However it also assumes a degree of familiarity with his and other previous DC work, an odd choice
for such a heavily promoted project. Almost no introduction is given to Sasha Bordeaux and her past relationship with Batman, and while her personal moral conflict as an agent of Maxwell Lord and Checkmate is expressed well, for those without an established connection to the character it may fall flat.

Jesus Saiz's art is solid if undistinguished, telling the story well but rarely visually interesting in itself. While his rendering and layouts are of an acceptable standard there's little flair or sense of individual style.

An absorbing start to a promising story, but non-DC readers may struggle with the prerequisites.

Rating: 6/10

Omac Project #2

Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Jesus Saiz
Publisher: DC comics

Reviewed by Jess

Batman knows that the Justice League wiped his mind after he witnessed what they did to Dr Light. He also knows that Ted Kord a.ka. Blue Beetle is dead. He also knows that his spy satellite Brother Eye is no longer in his control. What he doesn't know is the amount of danger he and one time love Sasha Bordeaux are about to walk into. Maxwell Lord, now head of Checkmate has discovered that someone has leaked information about Brother Eye, but is unaware that it is former spy Bordeaux, now working for Checkmate.

Greg Rucka manages to create a suspenseful story that while appearing to tie into other titles still stands apart on it's own and reads like a spy novel.

Jesus Saiz former artist on Manhunter does some rather dark artwork here, but it fits the tone of the story and doesn't seem out of place at all. If you can ignore all the Infinite Crisis schtick that seems to accompany some of these titles, you'll find this is a great story that you should be reading.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Outsiders #34
"One Year Later" Begins

Writer: Judd Winick
Artist: Matthew Clark
Cover: Daniel Acuña
Publisher: DC

Reviewed by Jess

The weird thing I found from reading this issue (part of DC's One Year Later phenomenon) was that the Outsiders don't even appear in what is at least the first half of the book. As far as we are made aware, they are dead. Whether this happens during Infinite Crisis or 52, we're never told. Now I realise I'm not a comic writer, but to not have your stars show up for the first half of the book makes, for me, a pretty dumb move on the writers part. You risk losing your audience. Winick's Outsiders has always been a bit average from day one, and sadly, this just makes things worse. Matthew Clark however provides some pretty snazzy art, which manages to save the book, but only just. I also can't work out why DC got Daniel Acuña on cover duties. I know he's the "next big thing", but his art style to me just doesn't look good. Maybe he needs an inker to ink his work instead of having him just paint it. I give this book a low score, but if I find things get better I'll certainly reconsider my views on this title.

Rating: 4 out of 10

Plastic Man #17
(Review 1)

Writer/Artist: Kyle Baker
Publisher: DC Comics

Reviewed by The NewFrontiersman

Kyle Baker's predictably hyper-kinetic, fractured take on the Justice League's resident clown prince has garnered no little praise from critics and readers alike since it zipped onto the scene with all the quiet dignity and reserve of a Tex Avery toon a couple of years ago. Given that this issue was my first real contact with the series, I approached the task of reviewing it with trepidation, deep contemplation and high expectation. Having said this...

Baker's art first wrenched my retinas in a new direction through his exquisite and highly underrated 'Shadow' ongoing (sort of) series. Yes; I'm that old. Years later and by way of 'I Die At Midnight' and 'Captain America: The Truth', I noticed his style edging away from his obvious Bill Sienkiewicz influence and into what could politely be called 'looser' territory. And now to 'Plastic Man' Issue Seventeen, which looks like Baker drew it on the subway into work. To be fair, the colouring (which I assume is also his) is a pastel dream of '50's nostalgia and it takes an artist of Baker's fluidity to truly indicate the bizzare and Carrey-esque transformations of which ol' Plas is capable. What disappoints is his draftsmanship, which often seems mere doodling and resembles nothing so much as Sergio Aragones' cute little page-margin one-panelers one tends to gloss over when reading 'Mad' Magazine. I entertained notions of possible deadline pressures when reading this issue and I don't expect miracles from a standard monthly which emphasises humour, but what I do expect is competent art that holds together long enough to survive the transition from one panel to another.

The writing survives the art passably well, at least in terms of concept (deconstructed storytelling may be lamentably in vogue, but I do not need four pages of a twenty-two page comic to remind me that today's youth party culture is vacuous and inept) but the dialogue is disjointed; it comes off as a series of expository declarations rather than people actually communicating something (although perhaps that's the point?). Some nice references are made to both 'Carrie' and 'Mean Girls' as the story flirts with issues of teen alienation, although the loner figure of Ray El Ray seems the standard 'hilariously overly melodramatic soliloquising villain'. Yawn.

To its credit, however, 'Plastic Man' Issue Seventeen does parody DC's dreary, dire and self-important current plunge towards 'Crisis' with both its story title ('The Edwina Crisis: Prologue Part Three') and its Next Issue Box, which promises 'an awesome tale of shocking revelations which redefine the level of realism in the DC Universe, repercussions of which will play out across the DCU throughout 2005 and beyond!' - Or at least until DC Comics hires a competent Executive Editor.

Rating: 5 out of 10

Plastic Man #17
(Review 2)

Writer/Artist: Kyle Baker
Publisher: DC Comics

Reviewed by Jess

One of the funniest books around at the moment has to be Plastic Man.

Written by an industry stalwart Kyle Baker, he makes this bi-monthly book a hilarious read. I was never a big Plastic Man fan. I didn't even like him in Grant Morrison's JLA run, but Baker makes the character work.

What's gone before in this story is that Plastic Man's daughter has been seeing a gentleman who her father doesn't approve of...and for good reason! It turns out this man has dangerous super powers and Plastic Man's daughter is in great risk.

If you're looking for a good dose of humour on a bi-monthly basis give this book a try. It never fails to make me laugh.

Rating: 8 out of 10

The Pro (one-shot)

Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: Amanda Conner
Publisher: Image Comics (2002)

Reviewed by Frank Castle

This is the story of an unlikely hero, (a female prostitute), who gains super powers from the intergalactic being known as the Viewer. She joins the League of Honour (a satire of the Justice League) alongside The Saint, The knight, The Squire, The Lady, The Lime and Speedo. Together they attempt to defeat evil and liberate the world (yeh, right). Throughout the story, the League of Honour is attempting to come to terms with their new member, regarding many of her acts as obscene. None of this bothers The Pro; she is sick of all the stuck-up heroes, and claims that they're no use at all. This is one of the funniest comic books I've ever read. As well as being an excellent story, it completely takes the p-ss out of superheroes. It poses some interesting questions about the validity of the whole superhero genre. Where are the superheroes when the real disasters strike? Are they giving the people false hope, thinking someone is going to save them when they're in need?

For almost a century, superhero comics have implied that we need all these ridiculous superpowers to help people and fight crime. Maybe if there were more writers like Garth Ennis out there, people would realise all we need are people who are willing to give evil what it's had coming for so long. This book contrasts all the airy-fairy pieces of superhero crap that are on the shelves today. I'm sick of the same story told over and over again; bringing back people that were once killed; eventually even killing the star of the show - then bringing him back two months later.

Only the great Garth Ennis, (the stereotypical Irish hard-drinker), could deliver a brilliant idea this well. This goes at the top of his list, alongside PREACHER and PUNISHER.

Rating: 10 out of 10

The Punisher "Barracuda" Marvel MAX #31 #32

Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: Goran Parlov
Publisher: Marvel

Review by Ash Castle

Let me be Frank, if you are squeamish, easily offended or are not into violent anti-heroes, this is not for you. Please stop reading now! For those new or unfamiliar to The Punisher comic, game [XBOX, PS2 and PC] or two feature films, Frank Castle is a vigilante whose constant use of lethal force separates him from the most of his kind. When the Mafia kill his family, leaving him for dead, he wages a one-man war on crime, sans super powers and mercy. With no secret identity nor complex token love interests to worry about, Frank lives by the gun and more than willing to die by it, with the body count piling up until then.

Couple this with the fact that this is done in MAX Comics, where graphic violence, swearing and sex are all possible, sometimes at the same time thanks to writer Garth Ennis. From the very first panels we have a bloodied seaway strewn with countless bodies, eaten or being eaten by sharks, with a battered and bloody Frank possibly the last man standing on a boat. What follows is a flashback leading up to this chilling carnage where he has taken down a gang of drug dealers, nothing new here but this is where Ennis's genius truly begins to shine like white phosphorous in an elevator full of made men:

Continuing the tradition of the "Classic Punisher"; taking down the scum that the justice system can't or won't touch but since Frank is not a character that evolves much, if at all, Ennis is gradually pushing him and sidelining him out of his "comfort zone". This is done by means of expanding the pantheon of scum to include more high profile prey than usual, making for great reading with the trademark body count and black humour. This new virgin territory is something that is even reflected in Frank's interior monologue.

Which in turn is leading to nastier and more sadistic villains, currently the Barracuda. He's the latest in a long line of evil soulless foes, a beast of a man whose wanton sexual appetite and remorselessness only hints at what further violence and mayhem is likely to come in the next four issues.

Recurring characters are being used sparingly to great effect over the MAX series, see "Up is Down and Black is White" for a great example of this, which is great for fans but not at the expense of casual readers.

Ennis seems to be doing everything he can to mess with Frank's head, attacking him emotionally in "UID&BIW"; professionally in the previous run "The Slavers", where an "Anti-Punisher Initiative" is created by the NYPD as a direct result of Frank's now higher-profile targets and their malicious influence. Whilst passive at the moment, the now zero tolerance for Frank could makes things harder in the future, with the NYPD-driven media feeding the fear of an "off the rails" Frank. Having to worry about both sides of the law and a possibly hostile public can't be good for business. The Barracuda's attack if nothing else would seem to be on the physical side of spectrum. Think of The Russian if he was American, black, and without any sense of humour.

I could go into details of how the drug dealers, the Barracuda, Frank and other principal players all fasten together tightly like a noose around some deserving creeps neck but I wont, except to hint it has to do with some shady business dealings and I'll leave it at that. The fruits of all the efforts I observe above leads Frank to make some fundamental mistakes and to quote from the final page of #32, "Later - Beaten half to death, cut and bleeding, drowning in the Atlantic with a five meter shark closing in for the kill - I remember thinking just how wrong you can be". Its good to see someone like Frank is really human after all, at least some of the time. Best of all Frank has not even come face to face with The Barracuda yet however you can almost feel the ominous dread flooding the air and taste the blood spilling into the water.

I must also make it quite clear that this is in many ways is a biased review as Frank is my favourite comic character of all time, although I have yet to read Ennis's Preacher, odds on it will only be a matter of time before I get around to reading that too. So far Ennis is almost like a legal high or great sex, the more you get, the more you want it! This is also a darker and much more grisly Frank than the vanilla Marvel Knights version. Here there is no battle van full of gizmos, Microchip or other Superhero's to help or hinder him. It's a very distilled, back-to-basics Frank, meaning there is no greater time to get into The Punisher now than ever before with this match made in heaven, of Ennis and the MAX.

I look forward to the payoff from all the mind games as Frank rapidly slips further down into the endless shadowy depths of the dark side of the criminal underworld. Machines break down and even a hell-bent driven man like Frank must have a breaking point, which could possibly have some very interesting consequences in future issues to come? What happens when a man with nothing to lose gets pushed too far?

The Punisher MAX: The Tyger (one-shot)

Writer: Garth Ennis
Artwork: John Severin
Publisher: Marvel

Reviewed by Ash Castle

Finally, this long-delayed one-shot has been released to the masses. It's a tale of Frank Castle set long before he becomes the fully-fledged Punisher we know and love, or loathe, as the case may be. Whilst Ennis has done his back-story before in the marvellous "Born" (set in and during Vietnam), this is he aged ten. Now before you get ahead of yourself and think a ten-year-old Frank vignette seems like a complete waste of time, think again. This is not a Riverdale-esque suburb populated with the likes of Archie and his G-rated posse, this is the gritty urban landscape of his youth. The usual Ennis themes of sex and violence are present here but handled in a much more deeper, different and restrained manner this time, along with the sobering topic of suicide. Which for me personally was always the catch 22 of this comic. Sure it was great to at long last read this comic but at the same time, regrettably like most people, having known people who have committed suicide. Thankfully, the topic is skillfully dealt with in a decent manner, without glorifying like Helllraiser 7: Deader neither does it dwell on it for too long.

Here we have a young Frank who is great at sports but it is his passion for books that shines the most. Through the power of books and his imagination he can travel the world and absorb the experiences of authors as if he were there himself. He also has feelings for neighbourhood friend Lauren, who also happens to attend reading sessions with Father David at the local church. At the heart of the comic is a great key scene at the poetry group where they read William Blake's poem "The Tyger" resulting in Frank and Father David arguing as to the true meaning of the poem. Is it really about God's power of creation or is it about something far more darker and sinister than that?

At this point I was afraid to turn the page, as the two sole pieces of information circling in my mind at this point in time were two things and two things only; suicide and Father David. This has to be the first and only time when reading a comic that I'm interested where I really didn't want to turn the page. I mean this not in the, "Well golly gee wilickers, I really want to enjoy this comic for as long as humanely possible", kind of way but in the really ultra-rare instance of, "It feels like someone is walking over my grave", kind of way. Now without giving anything away as to whether the Father David's character is either benevolent or malevolent, in hindsight this was a great use of tension. Edgar Allan Poe much? As for this sensitive side of Frank relating to poetry and Lauren, it reminded me somewhat of Max Rockatansky and Jesse's relationship, in particular two key scenes where they sign "I love you" to each other, long before Max loses everything, becoming the heartless Mad Max.

The seeds of Frank's eventual path to his Punisher persona are carefully sewn throughout the issue, with the precision of a surgeon performing life saving surgery. We get to see Frank's hatred for the Mob blossum as the always faint but ever present tentacles of the Rosa family's vice-like grip on the neighbourhood gradually encroaching on anything good. Like weeds slowly choking the fragile ecology, hiding the sun and leaving only tragedy and fear in its reckless wake. Like all predators that prey on the innocent, going unchallenged, things get out of hand, becoming Frank's catalyst to think about taking matters into his own hands. Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't, odds are if you are reading this far you may as well read it and find out all this and everything I've carefully left out. Additionally, he also learns from two examples in the art of vengeance from two very different characters. The first example is revenge plain and simple while the other far exceeds revenge and is nothing short of punishment, thus becoming the future blue print for The Punisher's modus operandi.

Focusing attention to the cover and artwork, another great straightforward Tim Bradstreet cover of Tom O'Brien posing as The Punisher, with The Tyger motif featuring prominently in the background. As for John Severin's artwork I have to admit I found it a little distracting as it came off a little "scratchy". Maybe it was done to give it a look of days past, of old fading memories. All in all not a major problem really but I'm more fond of the more traditional work done by Steve Dillon, etc. Lastly and mercifully the most shocking scenes of the issue are not drawn and are humbly eluded too. Sure it was great to see Frank's handiwork firsthand in "The Slavers" but in this case toning such scenes down was for the best.

In summing up, it was good to read a Punisher comic that is even more lateral than Ennis's current run with the character. Furthermore if people were more open about the subject of suicide, perhaps it wouldn't happen as much and if this comic could help to broach discussion about this matter, then great. I would love to see this comic being used in year 12 English somehow, any Teachers or students game to try it? As for William Blake, is he turning in his grave? Did he ever intend for his poem to be used in such in manner, then again maybe he did?

Score: 4 out of 5 Skulls

Red Sonja / Claw #1

Writer: John Layman
Artist: Andy Smith
Publisher: Wildstorm / Dynamite Entertainment

Reviewed by Ben Marton

Over the many years I have been pouring obscene amounts of disposable income into an addiction only recently given acceptable status by ‘The O.C,’ I have discovered one more or less defensible law to be the case. I like to call it the In-Continuity Limited Law. It goes something like this: By and large, when it comes to characters with an established continuity, limited beats ongoing (I will ignore ‘Elseworlds’ scenarios because, hey, let’s face it: comics are one big Elseworld anyway). Prove it! I hear you squawk from across the vast long box. Very well. Let me throw a few names at you: ‘Action Comics’ (ongoing) vs. ‘Superman for All Seasons’ (limited). ‘Detective Comics’ (ongoing) vs. ‘Batman: Year One’ (limited). ‘JLA’ (ongoing, kind of) vs. ‘Justice’, ‘The New Frontier’, ‘Kingdom Come’ and many more (limited). You see? You tell me where the big guns are firing their best ordnance.

Sadly, there are currently at least two titles inverting the above pattern. One is ‘Conan’. The other is ‘Red Sonja.’

As a regular monthly title, ‘Red Sonja’ is a perfectly serviceable sword, sandal and chain mail bikini romp. If it wasn’t for the variant covers, a strange throwback to comics’ leaner years, I’d say Dynamite Entertainment were making all the right moves, integrating glossy production values with the resurrection of sure-fire cult favourite properties (and let me just say hail to the King, baby). When it comes to spin-offs, however, something is definitely rotten in Hyboria. From the wafer-thin, forgettable ‘Red Sonja vs. Thulsa Doom’ to the almost unreadable ‘Red Sonja: One More Day’, diminishing returns has been the apt phrase.

‘Red Sonja / Claw’ sees Busty Bossy Britches team up with…erm…Claw (I described him as ‘The Claw’ to my wife and the inevitable references to Jim Carrey in ‘Liar Liar’ resulted). Claw’s demonic digital disfigurement results in his hand driving him to acts of indiscriminate bloodlust when ungloved, and one cannot help but feel that Mr. Layman missed a prime opportunity for some middle of the night humour at Sonja’s expense (SLAP! “But it wasn’t me! It was…The Claw!” “The Claw is on your RIGHT hand!”) Some fairly routine exposition sharing follows, occasionally punctuated by enough shoegazing and self-pitying for a whole Evanescence album and the inevitable bout of thug and brigand trouncing.

Mr. Layman’s dialogue serves the story moderately well, although his plotting so far has fallen upon infertile ground. Mr. Smith’s artwork shows some promise; he hits a pleasant Tom Palmer beat in his inking and the shadow of Neal Adams hangs over it all, but not quite enough to satisfy a reader reared on John Buscema’s Conan. As for the portrayal of Sonja, a little more Xena and a little less Victoria’s Secret is in order. Hyrkania’s most savage shield-maiden looks like she should be waving pom-poms.

In a word, underwhelming.

Rating: 4 out of 10.

Red Sonja/Claw #4 (and my thoughts on the complete mini)

Writer: John Layman
Artist: Andy Smith
Publisher: DC

Reviewed by Wazsa

The fourth and final issue of this mini had all the action of the previous issues but with the added value of having Red Sonja VS Claw. (and if the Jim Lee cover isn't a spoiler then you'll easily guess how it ends)

I'm not a reader of the regular Dynamite Red Sonja series but have been keeping up with what's happening in it. It doesn't matter for this series though. I buy it for a friend and that's why I've picked up this series too.

This miniseries was a way of DC/Wildstorm bringing back a character that hasn't been seen for decades and to cash in on the "sword and sorcery" popularity that the main Red Sonja title has provided.

To me I'm not sure it works that well. It's an obvious attempt to cash in on the popularity.

The art work is good though. Andy Smith does a good job of and the work is consistant through out the issue

Layman writes a story that is simple but easy flowing and full of action. However I found it very predictable.

If you want half naked barbarians that aren't called Conan and half naked Warrior Women without lassos then this is your story.

This issue 5 out of 10
The Series 7 out of 10 (I have already decided to get the upcoming Claw series so this marketing ploy must have worked)

Revelations #1

Writer: Paul Jenkins
Artist: Humberto Ramos
Publisher: Darkhorse Comics

Reviewed by Jack

This new series has received an awful lot of hype on both the internet and the printed press, so it was with much anticipation that I read it to see if it lived up or not to that said hype. Set in the Vatican, a priest calls in an old friend to investigate the death of a fellow clergyman. And being the Vatican, nothing but mystery and barriers face the detective as he attempts to get a hold of what’s actually happened. For only the first issue, a lot is laid out for us. Jenkins quickly establishes the good and bad guys, possible conspiracies, incompetence of the local cops and a lot of English attitude from our hero – so much so that it feels a little stereotypical, which I guess is done for the sake of the American readers of this book.

The writing is sharp as you would expect from Paul Jenkins, and the art is not only beautiful but transports you into Europe. It has a smooth dark look to it that almost makes you think that the story is set five hundred years ago. But even though the story takes place in modern times, Humberto Ramos leaves out any glitz and glamour, instead choosing to focus on his central characters while supplying them with backgrounds steeped in history. Rome itself can be a very bright and noisy city, whereas Jenkins’ and Ramos’ Vatican is exactly the opposite. If you or a family member is a fan of Dan Brown’s book “Angels and Demons”, then you’ll easily slide into this new world from Darkhorse Comics.

An easy page turner making you want more.

Verdict 8.5/10

Rann/Thanagar War #1

Writer: Dave Gibbons
Artist: Ivan Reis
Publisher: DC Comics

Reviewed by Jess

If there was an award given to comic books for most confusing story of the year this tale would qualify.

Adam Strange zeta beams down to earth to warn Hawkman and Hawkgirl that their home planet Thanagar has been destroyed and that he needs their help to stop a war on Rann, his homeworld.

One of the problems this story has is it follows pretty much directly on from the Adam Strange mini series which was written by current Losers scribe Andy Diggle and which has also been shipping late. So therefore Rann/Thanagar War spoils the end of the Adam Strange mini series and utilises by far too much the villains in that series making a difficult transition for anyone who didn't read the mini series.

Gibbons is more known as an artist and perhaps that's where he ought to concentrate his efforts in future.The one thing stopping me from giving this a really low rating is the art work of Ivan Reis which looks fabulous and makes me look forward to him becoming the regular artist on teen titans in the near future.

Rating: 5/10

Rocketo #1

Writers: Frank Espinosa & Marie Taylor
Artist: Frank Espinosa
Publisher: Speakeasy Comics

Reviewed by Jack

Wow! I may be wrong but this book felt unique. And whether you except that as a good or bad thing, it’s uniqueness is enough for me to enjoy the book, and look forward to future issues. Speakeasy Comics are developing quite a name for themselves as publishing un-conventional looking comics, and Rocketo is no exception. Not being an artist, it doesn’t take much to impress me, but this is the kind of book that will stick in my mind for days to come.

It probably has to do with the fact that this new book makes you think. Frank Espinosa doesn’t provide explanations at the beginning; he leaves it up to you, the reader to figure out what’s going on and who and where these characters are. It reminds me a lot of Frank Herbert’s “Dune”. Like Herbert, Espinosa has immersed himself so deeply into the world that he has created that he has no qualms describing the Earth’s history as if we the reader are already familiar with it. Of course, the Earth’s history he describes won’t take place for another 1000 or so years, and that is where we, the reader have to use our imagination to understand what is going on. Espinosa does help us out in the latter half of the issue (a reward for those still reading), and it is here that the story’s tone changes and takes us into the heart of what and who Rocketo is.

In some ways this story feels like it should have been presented as an original graphic novel instead of as a monthly comic, especially when the book ends quite abruptly just as the story hits full stride, almost feeling like the writer had mistimed his writing and forgot that he was running out of pages (just two more pages would have been satisfactory without giving too much away). Regardless, it left me hanging – happy or not – for the next issue, not just to see where the story leads but to see the format and art, which means Espinosa has done his job

If you hated “Dune” because you were confused, then you’ll probably dislike this book. If you’re looking for something other than eye candy (which is exactly what Wildsiderz #1 was – and deserved a little more than what Chris gave it when you accept it for what it is) then this book is maybe for you.

The most surprising thing is that this is a true science fiction story, the type that has been around for more than a hundred years, but the art makes it look like anything but that.

Fascinating.

Verdict 8.5/10

Robin # 140

Writer: Bill Willingham
Penciller: Scott McDaniel
Publisher: DC

Reviewed by The Magnificent Turtle

Bill Willingham's run on the solo adventures of the Boy Wonder continue to be a joy to read. For twenty issues now Mr. Willingham has guided Batman's junior sidekick through emotional turmoil and extreme physical pain, but through it all one thing has remained a constant:

Good storytelling.

The current storyline concerns the arrival of the Veteran (an American hero supposedly reborn with each war that America has fought over the past 200+ plus years) in Blüdhaven and Robin's life. This Veteran and his super secret, top hush army buddies are attempting to recruit Robin to their cause. Why? And is Robin really as tempted by the Vetertan's offer as he appears to be?

Well that's why we read these funny books every month isn't it? To find the answers to questions posed in the previous issues. Well I do anyway...

Perhaps the only negative I can give this book is the fact that it is on it's third or fourth regular artist in less than two years. I had enjoyed previous regular Damien Scott's rendition of the Boy Wonder, but find new regular Scott McDaniel's scribblings to be somewhat confusing by comparison. Don't get me wrong, the art still is quite good and fits the storyline quite well, it's just a shame that DC decided to change artist mid storyline.

Rating: 8/10

Robin #141

Writer: Bill Willingham
Artists: Scott McDaniel & Andy Owens
Publisher: DC

Reviewed by The NewFrontiersman

For a character who, traditionally, has occupied shaky ground among a somewhat cynical readership (or perhaps I am just showing my age) Robin seems to have proven himself a survivor by hanging on for nearly 150 issues; no mean feat in an increasingly fickle market. What appeal Tim Drake holds over and above Jason Todd or the earlier incarnation of Dick Grayson is a subject for better pop culture commentators than I, but I'm willing to bet it isn't boyish charm.

Reader be warned. I'm going to spend an inordinate amount of time on the cover, and I'm going to rant. Should you wish to avoid a cranky stalwart lamenting the decline of Western Civilization, you can skip below to the 'Wildsiderz: Eye-Candy or Shiny Bauble?' debate.

In all seriousness, though, the cover to 'Robin' issue 141 is (or at least it should be) a source of great concern. Rendering a scene which does not occur within the pages is forgivable; that old comics staple has been with us for decades. What potential readers are presented with in this instance, however, is nothing short of irresponsible. In the first instance, Robin, who if not actually a teenager is barely out of his teens, associate of a man who owes all that he is to violence at the end of a barrel, poses in all his shirtless glory holding twin automatics. I know what some of you are thinking and, yes, this may have something to do with an ongoing storyline involving infiltration of the Mob. Yes, here is another fine opportunity to drive another wedge into the increasingly fractious Batman 'family' of books. The simple fact remains, however, that this is a monthly comic with no 'mature readers' warning on the cover starring a character initially created as an identification point for a younger audience who here looks for all the world like a Backstreet Boy by way of Tarantino. Publishers can justify such dangerous marketing with claims that knowledge of backstory and a healthy appreciation of the ironic must be assumed, but the simple notion that reverberated through me upon first contemplating this blasphemy of a cover was that every comic is somebody's first. In this case I fervently hope that somebody is not under the age of twenty-one. What is even more ludicrous is that mention is made inside of a traumatic shooting incident at a school. This is dangerous material. Not because it challenges expectations but because, like far too much 'art' these days, it deadens the sensibilities.

Once I subdued my gag reflex sufficiently to proceed inwards, I discovered material which, while at the very least less offensive, was simply underwhelming. Bill Willingham, a writer who has attained some notoriety of late, provides stilted and transparently expositionary dialogue, especially between the adolescent protagonist and his recently exhumed girlfriend (don't ask)and a sub-plot involving escaped supervillains telegraphs its dramatic moments, leeching it of all potential menace. Cut to more latte drinking and 'net searching by our young would-be lovers interspersed with story elements which scream 'I really want to write for 'The Sopranos', and we are soon into the cape and tights segment of our programme, just in time for a guest appearance by Superboy which, thankfully, has nothing to do with the current 'Crisis/Sacrifice' garbage DC is peddling. It is the scenes of interaction between Robin and Superboy, however, which all too briefly lift this comic above the mediocre, with some snappy dialogue and a genuine sense of mutual respect, putting to shame the way the heroes' older counterparts treat one another these days.

This reviewer is still very much undecided as to whether or not Scott McDaniel can be called a 'good' artist. His work certainly is consistent and his cinematic angles imply the feel of a revolving steadycam in many of his pages, but his toneless human figures still appear to be made of flubber. Solid, high-contrast inking by Andy Owens compliments his work nicely, however, giving Robin a floodlit backdrop against which to work through his 'Friends starring Tony Montana' issues.

This may not be the worst 'superhero' comic on the stands but, friends, this is the only time I'll ever say this: I give you permission to bend back the cover.

Rating: 4 out of 10.

Ross vs Quinn

Story & Art: EvilDan
Publisher: EvilDan

Reviewed by Adam White

EvilDan's successful and original creation Angry Comic Shop Guy returns in a new issue, and this time faces his greatest challenge: Quinn! It's a no-holds-bar comic strip adventure of dirty sex, bloody violence, and drug abuse.

Ross, Quinn and Dylan are just ordinary young blokes just trying to get by and drink as much booze in life as they can. Their path is constantly threatened by wankers, losers, emos, LARPers, wannabes and Ross's own perverted hobbies. While Quinn may snap after extreme provocation, Ross's years as a comic shop proprietor have left him with a short-fuse and deeply ingrained hatred of self-righteous weirdos. He's more likely to spear you in the face than listen to your bullshit.

This is the sort of comic you leave lying around the house or in the toilet for picking up and leafing through for a laugh. It's a close-up shotgun blast of low-brow humour, aimed to inflict maximum damage in the minimum space. Neat little book-end panels depict simple scenes of depravity to illustrate the characters' regular activities. In between, an array of excited and/or annoying guests pass through, most meeting with a gruesome death by the end of the page. The jokes themselves may not always be exemplary; not every page has a knock down punch line, but it's all delivered with a brazen style that easily sucks you into the comic's world and magnifies the over-all comedy effect.

EvilDan makes excellent use of the space provided to present the story. The first half of the comic reads vertically, with each one-page story featuring about 16-17 panels. It's an intense read compared to the everyday nine-panel grid, and it emphasizes the manic nature of Ross and Quinn's experiences. You can feel the pressure and stupidity of the people around Ross confining him, and the urgent need to kill. The second half or so of the comic features stories focussing on Quinn, in a horizontal eight-panel grid format. It's kind of annoying that this section comes second in the comic, because chronologically it seems to be set first. But it's only a problem if you're reading the issue from cover to cover, otherwise the one-page story strip format works fine. The more open layouts here emphasize Quinn's calmer attitude to life, as he takes considerably longer to react violently to everyday disappointment. But in the end, it still usually comes to violence.

This simple, take-no-prisoners attitude to life's numerous irritants provides good, healthy dose of revenge-fantasy driven escapism. It's a fun diversion and a good flick-through.

Rating 7 out of 10

Runaways #2

Writer: Brian K Vaughan
Artist: Adrian Alphona
Publisher: Marvel

Reviewed by Jess

For those who have only recently picked up Runaways, you've been missing out on a great book.

A vision from the future tells the Runaways that unless they find a young boy named Victor they will have no future. You see this boy is the son of a major marvel universe villain.

Vaughan isn't telling in this issue as to the identity of the child's father but there's more than enough to keep any reader wanting more. This is a highly recommended series and to find out about the earlier adventures pick up the previous series in digest from a comic store near you.

Excellent stuff!

Rating: 8/10

Runaways #25

Writer: Joss Whedon
Artists: Martin Ryan, Rick Ketcham and Christina Strain
Publisher: Marvel

Reviewed by Adam White

The Runaways - a group of eight super-powered teenagers with major parental issues and a dinosaur - is probably the ideal fit for the writing style of Joss Whedon. The characters can get away with acting like a bunch of snarky teenagers, because they are a bunch of snarky teenagers, not, say, the world's premiere Mutant superheroes activists.

Teenage years are full of complications. Living and working with a team of under-age renegade superheroes is an excellent allegory for kids trying to assert their independence in a world that does not respect them. The Runaways are clearly trying to forge their own identities, as a group and individually, come out from under the shadows of their parents and deal with adults on equal terms. Their relative inexperience is going to make this a difficult task, but one they approach with energetic resolve. Relationships within the group are rocky too. Much like the arbitrary assemblages that kids often find themselves thrown into, the Runaways are a mix of personalities and outlooks that aren't always compatible. The group comes off more as a clique of misfits than a team of firm friends. It does threaten to become a bit too angsty at times, as Whedon plays up the dramatic elements of the dynamic in favour of humour. He does not short-change the characters however, giving each of one a sense of identity and purpose.

The pacing of this issue is somewhat off. There are only three scenes to speak of but after a good deal of drama it lurches uncomfortably into the action phase. Almost seems to be missing an ad break. Fortunately the art by Martin Ryan, impressively inked and coloured by Ketcham and Strain, is well suited for both drama and action. The neat, youthfully exuberant effect suits the comic perfectly, and the technical realisation of backgrounds in the skyscraper assault scene, with some very good use of perspective, solidly ground the art in reality.

RUNAWAYS was always writer Brian K. Vaughan's pet project and now the baton has passed to Whedon. While the characterisation may be in good hands, the plot transition has been messy, with last issue's cliff-hanger completely ignored. The relatively novel concept of a Los Angeles-based superhero team has been abandoned for the more traditional territory of Marvel Universe New York City , with familiar guest stars and a new villain to contend with. The effect could be fairly irritating for established readers. Not a lot makes sense at this stage, but as the first issue of a new story line there's still plenty of time to fill in the details and revisit lost plot threads.

The standard opening-issue big reveal on the last page is nicely done, with a unique twist on the effect. A much-loved character makes an appearance in what almost seems like a self-parody, but his presence is overshadowed by a new villain with a very imposing design.

A team book of this sort lives or dies by its relationships, both between the characters and with the readers. Within the framework of the super-hero genre, the sophistication and subtle realism of RUNAWAYS makes it arguably the best comic of its type currently being published.

Rating 7 out of 10

Sea of Red #9

Writers: Rick Remender & Kieron Dwyer
Layouts: Salgood Sam
Pencils/inks/colours: Paul Harmon
Cover Artist: Kieron Dwyer
Publisher: Image

Reviewed by Ben Marton, Scourge of the Seven Seas

Pirates, vampires and Nazis: a sure-fire hit? One would think so. As a long-time comics aficionado, it has been my experience that brazenly wacky concepts which meld fearless genre-mashing with B-movie hokum in the most unapologetic way are the very lifeblood of this wonderful medium; great, good or merely adequate, comics predicated on ideas too outrageous and improbable to be ignored are the engine that drives the industry. If you don’t believe me, try pitching ‘Love and Rockets’ as a summer blockbuster. This being the case, I can recall many instances where the pure fanboyish fun of a story was enough to overcome its mediocre execution.

I am fast becoming a devotee of Rick Remender’s work, so I wish I could make the above case in support of the latest issue of ‘Sea of Red’. To be fair, the shortcomings of this comic are not primarily the fault of the writing. The narrative is infused with a heady mix of ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’, ‘Hellboy’ and ‘Interview with the Vampire’, at least in terms of plot and thematic elements, and although the tone falls too far this side of dreary and self-important to support the far-fetched concept, thus draining it of life and colour (a condition I dub ‘Didioism’), the pacing and dialogue tend to ring true if one is to go along with the ‘vampires on the high seas meet Hitler’s archaeologists’ riff.

The character I assume to be central to the saga, Captain Blackthroat, offers something in the way of dimension; as a pirate he has made peace with his chosen profession but as a vampire he regards himself as cursed, and although he will not kill for sport he has no compunction in doing so out of necessity. His nemesis, at least as far as this issue goes, is one Jameson, a former crew member who has betrayed his Captain and later takes up with the Nazis in order to ‘build’ them the perfect aquatic army of voracious killing machines. Much of this tale is told in flashbacks which jarringly shuffle the reader between 1944 and 1864. I say ‘jarringly’ because such temporal shifts are unaccompanied by any appreciable change in visual tone. More on the, er, ’art’ later.

The danger lurking at the heart of any tale involving vampire history is the dark spectre of pretentiousness. Fortunately, with the exception of the standard inappropriate William Blake quote and the highly problematic cover (more on that later), Mr. Remender utilizes one of his greatest strengths in ‘Sea of Red’; he approaches a dark topic with a light touch, allowing events to play themselves out in accordance with their own internal logic. Rarely does one hear the delicate but unmistakeable sound of an envelope being pushed.

Sadly, I had hoped that my inexperience with this particular title would not hinder my enjoyment of it as issue eight had been the closer of the second trade collection (when did we all just roll over and accept deconstructed storytelling as a fact of life? Sigh). Therefore one would assume this issue to be an opportune ‘jumping on point’ for the curious browser. Little is offered in the way of back-story, however. An opening page text piece would help, surely, and long-time readers could skim over it with minimal interruption; another point against.

A point in favour, for the sake of balance, is that this issue is printed on lovely parchment-like paper stock, an enhancement which adds a tactile dimension to the reading experience.

Now to the real business. I can put it off no longer. When it comes to art, we comic fans have endured all kinds of crimes against aesthetics over the years. The fact that Rob Liefield still even draws a paycheque is proof enough that there is a large contingent who continue to read with one hand over their eyes and a recent line of action figures managed to beautifully replicate in three dimensions Michael Turner’s inability to successfully render simple human anatomy, but I will say this: when I read a comic I would at least expect to encounter characters with recognisable human features and backgrounds that don’t look like they were etched onto slabs of Styrofoam with the blunt ends of pool cues dipped in gravy. Thank goodness Captain Blackthroat has large distinct scar patterns on his forehead and a Rob Zombie mane, otherwise it would prove difficult to differentiate him from Jameson, Hitler, or, I could imagine, Woody Allen as doodled by Paul Harmon. I defy anyone who picks up this issue for the first time to open to page 18 and glance at the second panel and tell me what they are seeing. When an image in a piece of sequential storytelling can only be translated based upon its context something is seriously out of joint.

To compound this comic’s insult to the reader’s ocular sensibilities, we are provided with several pages of original layouts by someone named ‘Max’ following the letters page. Original layouts which manage to trump their ‘finished’ art in terms of detail and consistency. The experience is something akin to reading a Virginia Andrews novel with an introduction by Clive Barker.

Perhaps most perplexing of all is the cover image. Some tangential connection is made with Christ in the issue, and to be fair, it is his blood which is mentioned in connection with Captain Blackthroat’s quest. And yes, the comic is choc full o’ Nazis, but honestly; a bleeding swastika raining over Vampire Jesus? There are two possibilities which may explain Kieron Dwyer’s cover. One is that the image has direct relevance to the title’s ongoing plot. At some point it has been (or will be) revealed that the Son of God was in fact a vampire or some kind of progenitor to the vampires’ curse. The juxtaposition of the Nazi flag is therefore a kind of visual ideological counterpoint to the icon of the great redeemer. Fine, if you are one of the initiated as far as the series goes. As happens all too often, however, the casual, first-time sampler will be given an inaccurate impression of both the tone of the story contained therein and the plot they are about to encounter. The second possibility seems all too likely in an industry which increasingly favours shock-event mentality over any kind of storytelling. The good folks at Image Comics are courting controversy. If so, it is an ill-advised tactic. A smack-in-the-face cover will get the issue off the rack; it may even get it as far as the counter, but comics being the serial medium it is, the big idea is to have the reader buy the next issue. I cannot recall, even during the most animated of geek interactions, hearing the words, “I can’t wait until the next cover comes out”. Shame on Image for teasing us with competent art on the front, in any case.

Issue nine was my first tryst with ‘Sea of Red’. For the sake of the title’s many devoted fans and potential future readers, I fervently hope it was something of an anomaly. Yar.

Rating: 4 out of 10

Seven Soldiers: Mister Miracle #1

Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Pasqual Ferry
Colourist: Dave McCaig
Publisher: DC

Reviewed by The NewFrontiersman

The first of 'round two' in the labyrinthine 'Seven Soldiers of Victory' saga premieres with the stepping onto the stage of that most wonderful (and underrated) of Jack Kirby's creations, Mister Miracle. More than just about any other character in the DCU (as the young folk of today call it), Mister Miracle represents the hope that a pan-dimensional world of wonder continues. Ah, yes; the antiquated notions of peace and love, the Old Testament style grandeur...A balm for the soul. So when I heard that Scott Free would...Oh. That is, I mean, Shilo Norman...Wait...(sound of riffling pages)...Oh, I see. 'New Godz' with a 'Z'...Granny Goodness as a...gangsta rapper...the 'Drive-By Derby'...MORRISON!!!

I had known well in advance that some adjustments would be made to the titular character for his entry into this most curious team-book-that-is-not-a-team-book. Most publicized was the fact that he would not be Scott Free, that celebrated son of the New Gods Highfather and Avia, but one Shilo Norman, a young man whose brother was a police officer killed by a gang leader and who Scott had been assigned to protect and decided to train. I assume that the DC editorial staff allowed Mr. Morrison the use of Mister Miracle, just not the Scott Free identity. This may well be because Dan Didio is planning to have Scott shot in the back of the head, eviscerated, then run over by a marching band.

What I was not prepared for were the update tweaks; one can only suppose that the contemporaneous nature of the original New Gods mythos as a child of the sixties would turn away prospective teenage and young adult readers who are force-fed a steady diet of 'Oz', The Black-Eyed Peas and the many cinematic triumphs of the Wayans Brothers. A fair supposition, to be sure, and the implication that Shilo's contact with dreamlike flashes of New Genesis and Apokolips can be explained away by his analyst as manifestations of the warring factions of his subconscious is an intriguing twist. I have admiration for any writer who can use the word 'Manichaean' with a straight face in a superhero comic. Nevertheless, more cynical commentators than I could not fail to notice the presence of at least two dusky-hued variants of established characters so far and may hearken to a familiar note. Pop quiz: which Green Lantern featured in the animated 'Justice League' and why?

Marketing decisions aside, I remain fascinated by the work of Grant Morrison with its daring strokes of psychoanalysis and metafiction. The grinning, knowing way he plays with established continuity can be as frustrating as it is liberating; liberating because it implies not so much a removal of the fourth wall as taking to it with the less-used side of a claw hammer. Frustrating because surgical re-adjustment by some Continuity Nazi cannot be far behind. I am willing to withold judgement concerning touches like G-Diddy and her Posse until some character-centred explanation more satisfying than the tightening of the demographic leash is offered. Should this fail to be the case I will be sorely disappointed. Having said this, Grant Morrison's 'Seven Soldiers' cycle has kept me reading month after month and he is a writer who tends to hit more than he misses, so I can dip into the 'benefit of the doubt' account for another month.

To speak briefly about the art, Pasqual Ferry, like Mr. Morrison, both impresses and infuriates me. His consistency, confident linework and cinematic impact as a graphic storyteller improve with each project, but over the past year he has gone from de-emphasising the wonderful Flash Gordon retro-futurism of Adam Strange (guns made of 'hard light' or perspex super-soakers? You be the judge) to leeching Mister Miracle's giddy psychadelia of all its colour and life. Like the work of John Cassaday or Gary Frank, Ferry's art flashes back to some of the more rigid drafting to be found in 'Heavy Metal' magazine. The man can draw a mean line; there's no denying that. Perhaps the headache-inducing, neon-suffused cybercolouring is the reason the eye-candy is a little stale.

On balance,'Mister Miracle' can be recommended as another interlocking module in Grant Morrison's ever-evolving better mousetrap; 'Seven Soldiers' promises to be a whole that will outshine the sum of its parts. It is not one for the casual reader; but for the collector? Here be wondrous dragons.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

Sgt. Rock: The Prophecy #1

Writer & Illustrator: Joe Kubert
Colours: Joe Kubert with Pete Carlsson
Publisher: DC

Reviewed by Ben Marton

War certainly is Heck, and more than anybody else, Joe Kubert has built a distinguished career upon the foundation of its horrors, triumphs and vicissitudes. For some 46 years he has been chronicling the travails of Sergeant Frank Rock, and while publication has by no means been continuous, that still adds up to over seven times the length of the actual Second World War. This hard-bitten man of stone has stayed with us, and for good reason.

The opening salvo of the ‘Prophecy’ limited series sees the combat happy joes of Easy Company parachute over Vilnus, Lithuania, one dark night in 1943. Curiously, they are described as ‘men not normally required to leave solid ground’ (in actuality, Easy Company was an element of the 101st Airborne Division and a large part of their training was in combat drops), but Rock’s tour of duty in ‘G.I. Combat’, ‘Our Army at War’ and his self-titled series contained stories with a heavy element of marching, trudging and hoofing it, so we’ll forgive the esteemed Mr. Kubert some monkeying with history. The Company’s orders are to secure and transport an undisclosed ‘valuable object’ that could potentially alter the course of the war. This is especially significant to the local civilian population as both German and Russian troops have been crossing the region as territory is captured, lost and re-captured with devastating regularity. The cost of war forced upon ordinary people is driven home to the reader by the stark, ashen backdrop of eviscerated towns and scarred landscapes.

The men of Easy soon encounter Roskoff, their contact with the underground, who Rock dubs ‘Bear’, not without good cause, but also because in Kubert’s milieu, where character elements are defined by the simplest visual coding and nomenclature, nobody with more than two lines of dialogue escapes without a callsign. The first issue deals primarily with the difficult journey across contested ground to find the precious cargo, which is never named and is barely revealed by the final panel, although any reader with a flair for the dramatic and some experience with this kind of story could make an educated guess as to the nature of the ‘object.’ Along the way a subtext subtly emerges, however: just as Roskoff has become hardened to revenge killings and industrialised warfare’s particularly brutal brand of utilitarianism, brief but telling scenes involving interactions between ‘Little Sure Shot’, Easy’s resident Native American sniper, and his compatriots reveal a rather cavalier attitude towards the racially motivated injustices of America’s own past. In the hands of a less experienced writer such material would be seared onto our retinas with the largest branding iron righteous indignation could muster, but Mr. Kubert allows the story’s ideological shading to seep slowly, thus demonstrating through the medium of visual storytelling the more insidious and therefore powerful nature of passive ignorance.

The art of ‘The Prophecy’ is masterful in its drab washes of greys and greens over Mr. Kubert’s boldly etched lines and excellent rendering of the human form. In the tradition of many of the better European comics, each page is laid out with a balance of colour to provide uniformity of tone, especially notable when said uniformity is shattered by the violent interruptions of incendiary reds and oranges. Joe Kubert’s greatest talent, however, lies in his representations of the faces of war; what drew me to the black and white reprints of his work I voraciously consumed as a child was the mileage cut and blasted into every line and seam of Rock’s visage. It was a mask of worn leather; a warrior’s face. The mug of the grunt of all grunts, who I still feel could clean Bruce Wayne’s clock, or Steve Rogers’, for that matter.

‘Sgt. Rock: The Prophecy’ Issue One is a rare infusion of class by a living legend. It is simultaneously a two-fisted combat tale and a meditation upon the destructive capacity of parochialism. It implies an intention on the part of the writer/artist to do what he has always done best: To question the savagery of armed conflict without denigrating the men of valour who fight. Frank Rock is back where he belongs; a colossus of the battlefield whom the market-driven toadies and aging fanboys of DC’s Continuity Brownshirts should never have been allowed to touch. Long may he and the Brothers of Easy take the hits for us. Make war no more.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Sleeper: Season Two #8

Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Sean Phillips
Publisher: DC/Wildstorm

Recommended for mature readers

Review by Christopher Franks

Sleeper is one of few current titles that maintains such a high standard month after month that it is genuinely difficult for the stellar creative team to go any better, but they do so here in an issue truly exceptional in every way.

While bookended by short scenes concerning the ongoing story the bulk of this issue is devoted to a fascinating study of Miss Misery as she 'juices up' in preparation for a mission. An ingenious superpowered take on the 'good girl gone bad' archetype, Misery is an oddly sympathetic character; twisted and evil, sure, but only because she has to be, because feeling any positive emotion such as love literally makes her sick. Beneath her debauched and darkly humorous actions during this story there's a hint of decency, with the suggestion it at least partly derives from her impossible relationship with Holden. It's all brought to life with customary cinematic flair by master artist Sean Phillips, from the series' trademark action sequences to an equally amazing sex scene.

Near-perfect in both concept and execution, this is one of the best installments so far of a consistently excellent series and probably the finest single issue of anything that I've read in months.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Shadowhawk #12

Writer/Artist: Jim Valentino
Inks: G W Fisher
Publisher: Image

Reviewed by Jess

I previously reviewed another book written by Jim Valentino a little over a week ago, The Emissary. Now this week another book by Valentino comes out. This time the book I'm reviewing is Shadowhawk. I obviously came in at a bad time because this is part 4 of a story, also i don't have the slightest clue who any of the characters are and there's nothing in the book to help me understand what is actually going on. A person should be able to come in at any time to a comic whether it be in part 2 or part 7 and still be able to work out what the book is about, and in this instance Valentino doesn't help the reader at all. It's a very action oriented issue which is nice, but if you've got no idea of what the story is you're basically fumbling in the dark looking for the light switch. There really is no point in trying this issue unless you've already been reading it previously. I can't give a book a zero out of ten so this gets the lowest score i can give.

1 out of 10

Snake Woman #1

Creator: Shekhar Kapur
Writer: Zeb Wells
Artist: Michael Gaydos
Colourists: Sampath Kumar & I Jeybalan
Publisher: Virgin

Reviewed by HDK

This is Virgin Comics’ second release, and the first from the Directors’ Cut line. In this line a famous film director will create a story, which will then proceed to be scripted, developed and edited by an already well-established comic writer, artist and editor. Finally, emerging Indian comic artists and writers will do the assistant editing, and the rest of the art.

The creator of this comic is the same as Devi, Shekhar Kapur, and the writer is Zeb Wells (who I am told has been gaining accolades for his work on superhero comics in the U.S). Western artist Michael Gaydos does the main cover, which is superb.

The format of the comic is that of the traditional U.S comic, 32 pages inside with 4 of advertising. I hate bloody ads in comics, but here it is acceptable as the only ads are those of other Virgin comics. Let’s hope that this trend continues. Obviously the trade paperbacks will be much better as they will not contain advertisements (we can only hope). The paper used is of high quality.

I was immediately drawn to the intricate beauty of the cover. It depicts a woman covered in ripped snake scales, completely toned using shades of grey. The woman’s face is hidden and she appears to be in a state of trance. I think the cover is worth the price of the comic alone.

Inside the comic, however, the characters aren’t drawn as smooth (different artists, different style). The drawing is a bit rough, but to me is passable. The colours are predominantly darker and the background texture is shadings of grimy grey, green, brown and some black. This is working quite well to set a mood of anticipation, suspense and even gloom.

The story according to the Virgin website (www.virgincomics.com) is loosely based on the ancient Indian stories but has been altered by creator Shekhar and writer
Wells. In the ancient stories a heroine is chosen to avenge evil, mainly men. The heroine usually has reptilian features and this may or may not have anything to do with the goddess Kali. Snakes form a very important part of Indian, and especially Hindu, mythology. This symbolism is also found in other cultures around the globe (Harry Potter being a very contemporary employment of this symbol). Often the snake is a manifestation of evil, and sometimes of vengeance. Several Gods and Goddesses such as Kali can be found depicted with snakes, especially cobras. I have never heard of this story or legend, but regardless the story initiates interest.

The comic starts off with a killing of a man by Jessica Peterson, and then goes back in time to show some character development. Jessica Peterson a young woman in her early 20’s. She resides in down town L.A with her very outgoing flatmate Jin. We are shown that Jessica is a shy girl with a weird friendship to a much older Brinkley (I’m going to have a punt and say that later on he is a protector or spy). She is fairly shy around males her age and works in a dingy bar. One day while serving a customer she recognizes his bracelet as Naga (meaning snake) and for reasons she can’t really comprehend she leaves with him (it’s much better than it sounds). Suddenly the man turns on her outside. It seems she will kill him and 67 other men soon, he is to prevent this by killing her… and thus the mystery starts.

The Virgin website and advertisements on the comics promote the Snake Woman with:

Born 1981.
First Kiss 1996.
Graduated With Honors 2002.
Moved to L.A 2006.
Within 3 years, she will have killed 68 men.

While this does give a bit of info on the comic there is still much mystery so I will be very interested in where this goes. Is the female protagonist evil or good? Why does she kill? Who are these 68 men? Etc. There is much premise. Hopefully the series has a definite start middle and end. And importantly shouldn’t go for too long with filler comics. As well I really hope that if successful there is no capitalisation with prequels, sequels etc.

I am definitely going to collect all these comics as the art work especially the covers are good. The story line so far is good and promising and with the people behind these comics, I’m guaranteed to be getting good stuff (well I hope).

I believe Snake Woman is well worth a look. And for fans of mystery, action and a bit of horror this is a definite comic to look out for and possibly buy.

Other Director’s Cut comics are going to be coming out soon. And as a massive fan of cinema I am very excited about this. Already John Woo (martial arts movie legend) and Garth Ennis (Preacher etc) have created and are writing 'Seven Brothers:'

“The new comic series -- set to debut in October -- centres on the story of seven siblings who depart on Chinese explorer ships and settle on seven different continents. Five hundred years later, their descendants must unite to thwart an evil that is threatening the world. The descendants are an unlikely pairing after having mixed their Chinese bloodline many times over
Ennis will pen the story with Yoshitaka Amano painting original cover art for each of the Seven Brothers comics”.

I can’t wait.

Ultimate Spider-Man #88

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils & Cover: Mark Bagley
Publisher: Marvel

Review by J. Walker

Consistently a good read, Bendis and Bagley have to be commended for creating a book on a bi-monthly basis of such quality.

Silver Sable comes into the fold with this story arc. Taking place after the events of the Ultimate Spider-Man video game, Sable and her mercenaries are back for another slice of Spidey – note: it has been stated that it is not essential to play the game in order to understand the events taking place in this arc, but it is personally recommended - great game! With this issue we also get more Peter Parker/Kitty Pride relationship development which originated in ‘Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #1’.

Good read. I’m still recovering (in a good way) from the previous ‘Warriors’ arc, but this storyline seems to be shaping up nicely. Peter’s confrontation with his aunt and the reaction of Mary Jane after seeing Peter walk off with Kitty was done very well. Bagley’s artwork, as usual, is excellent.

As previously mentioned this book is of such consistent quality that it leaves readers very critical if it's rated anything below very good – which is rare. The pacing is a bit slow, but that’s really just nitpicking.

Decent read – worth checking out.

Rating: 7/10

Squadron Supreme #3

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Artist: Gary Frank
Publisher: Marvel

Reviewed by Lucas

Oh, so that’s where Tom Thumb was all the time!

And wait, look what else is up there!

It’s the script to Squadron Supreme #3!

What the hell happened? I was a great supporter of Supreme Power. Straczynski’s grand retelling of the “Marvel-ization” of a certain opposition super group and now I am doing nothing but crying in the corner trying to make the hurt stop.

The people that read the original adults only incarnation were taken along on an epic tale of American history from the point of view of Mark Milton, or Hyperion, as he is called by the government. This boy from another world inadvertently creates a new age of super people just by crash-landing on Earth. Over the years the super people are discovered and we get different points of…

What?

Talk about this issue?

But I don’t want to! This issue…

But he just…

And then he…

*sigh*

Okay then. Anyone who took the time to read all the MAX issues of Supreme Power (including the mini-series) can forget about all of it because in the end none of it matters. This story could have really been summed up on the back of a beer coaster. And the names and phone numbers of at least five drunken one night stands.

Most of the main characters (Hyperion, Princess, Dr. Spectrum and fish girl) of this super team have turned evil, you would think that this would be a great opportunity to flesh out all the second string characters, such as the Fantastic Four clones and the other Woman, but no, that would require some time and effort. But at least the heroes stop the villain and save the day. Right?

Right?

No, they let another super-group (and a rather funky one at that) do the work for them.

So what are we left with? Good guys are evil…Fight, fight, fight… big shocks turn the heroes good again, someone else shows up and saves the day, bad, bad, bad Straczczynski joke end. I won’t give away the joke ending but if you are familiar with Joe’s ‘creepy uncle’ style humor then I’ll let you be the judge of the humor level that those pages warrant.

Lets just say the Tom Thumb was ‘suppository’ be there!

Oh and Gary Frank’s art is great as usual. Maybe next time they’ll give him a comic book story to pencil.

Rating: 1 out of 10 (2 out of 10 if you like toilet humor)

Star Wars: Rebellion #1

Writer: Rob Williams
Artist: Brandon Badeaux
Publisher: Dark Horse

Reviewed by John McClane

You know what, let’s just skip to the last page of the issue and talk about the atrocity that’s been committed. The crime in question is a full page rendition of Darth Vader (sorry if you think I’ve spoiled it for you, but I haven’t). Darth Vader is hands down one of the greatest fictional characters to ever hit the large or small screen and if you were hired to do artistic chores on a Star Wars comic that featured the original characters then wouldn’t you make sure that above all else you drew the best damn Vader anyone has ever seen? I know I would, and the sad thing is that if that’s the best Brandon Badeaux can do, then he’s failed miserably.

Okay, I’m willing to admit that maybe my expectations are just a little high, but it’s Darth f**cking Vader we’re talking about here and I think it’s more than fair for me to judge a book by how this character is drawn. But assuming that you don’t get pissed off at such “minor” details to the point that you’re anally retentive (what am I talking about, you’re a comics fan aren’t you?), here’s some more on the issue.

I must admit that I was extremely pleased to see this time period being written about (the story takes place between Ep.4 and Empire) and after only one reading, the plot was still rolling around in my head for a couple of days and this made me conclude that the story had some legs, that is, I didn’t forget about it the minute after I stopped reading it, (Hello New Avengers). And one of the plot points (some would say the main plot point) was the subtle political parallels this book makes with what’s happening in the world today, although that like many things may just be in my head. The art has a little too much of a fantasy feel to me rather than an epic sci-fi feel, but the new characters are believable and well fleshed out. Let’s just hope that Badeaux can improve his skill in portraying the Dark Lord. Maybe someone should describe the concept of the “money shot” to him.

Rating: 7.5/10
Last Page rating: 1/10 (one point for at least colouring him black)

Stormbreaker:The Saga Of Beta Ray Bill #3

Writers: Dan Berman & Michael Avon Oeming
Artist: Andrea Di Vito
Publisher: Marvel

Reviewed by Jess

Beta Ray Bill's people (the Korbinites) are in a great deal of trouble. Already their homeworld has been destroyed and the lives of its remaining inhabitants are in the hands of its champion, only he's in a life or death battle against Galactus's herald, Stardust.

This six issue miniseries has its highs and lows, and sometimes the story can be a bit hard to follow but writers Berman and Oeming craft a wonderful space story.

The artwork of Andrea Di Vito is visually gorgeous and I look forward to seeing this artist on many projects to come.

Rating: 8/10

Strange Girl #8
(and a recap of the series so far)

Writer: Rick Remender
Art: Jerome Opena
Publisher: Image

Reviewed by Roger Murdoch

The end of the world as we know it is such a popular subject when it comes to fictional stories. Whether it be HG Wells' War of the Worlds or Mad Max, we love to envision the near future in which most of mankind has been destroyed leaving a few lone survivors to battle oppressors or sometimes mother nature herself (as in that great Kevin Costner movie called Waterworld). Lately we’ve seen a recent spate of these types of dramas, on the small screen in Jeremiah, and in comics form in Y the Last Man, Battle Pope and Strange Girl. The Bible as well as being the greatest fictional story ever told also has a kick ass 'end of the world scenario', and it’s from this famous book that Strange Girl finds its source material.

In issue #1, Beth has just watched her God fearing, bible thumping family be judged worthy by God during the rapture, and as they float up to heaven a distraught Beth is left alone with no other option than to cry out for her mother. God rescinds his protection of Earth allowing the demon hordes from Hell to set up shop topside and turn the earth into a living hell for those who had been judged unworthy by the Almighty himself, forcing them to live alongside their new demon masters. Shortly there-after, the story jumps 10 years later and Beth has grown into a strong willed teenager who has learned to use her wit, cunning and courage to forge an interesting and ‘privileged’ life for herself amongst the demons. Her partner in crime is a stunted, wise cracking and very horny lesser demon who likes to cause as much trouble as Beth does and together the two of them embark on quite an adventure, pissing off both demons and humans alike in their travels.

The current story arc is titled “Life after God”, in which our two heroes have stumbled onto a human outpost in the desert, which, with the help of some former US military members have managed to stay hidden and live what one would think be a peaceful utopian existence (when you consider what’s happened to the world around them), the kind of existence like the city of Zion, as seen in the Matrix Trilogy. Of course, being humans, that isn’t exactly the case.

In this issue, the demons have found the stronghold and Beth must do everything she can to survive and protect those around her. It’s become every man, woman and child for themselves (as we’ve recently see in New Orleans last year) and the notion of compassion and kindness – two of the bigger Christian ideals you would expect to find in a compound that still worships God – have been completely thrown out the window. Of course Beth doesn’t realise that for her to have any hope of survival she must channel a power which she has never had before, and which will take away her ability to distinguish between friend and foe, or right and wrong, meaning no human or demon is safe. The issue helps to wrap up a few loose ends and sees certain characters receive their comeuppance as it also helps to add some mystery that will surely be seen in the next story arc.
Issue #9 will be the concluding chapter to this story arc and will see the return of regular series artist Eric Nguyen who on this book both pencils and inks the art. This double duty has enabled Nguyen to stamp his artistic style firmly on the series which unfortunately seems to border on the abstract at times making his panels a little hard to understand. It does grow on you though, it just takes time.

The art team this time around however, has produced a more traditional style, one that is both easier on the eye and defines the characters and the objects around them more distinctly. Seeing the character of Beth unleash such power in this issue made me thankful that Opena had art duty on this paticular part of the story and not Nguyen as clarity was needed to truly deliver one of the series' biggest action sequences to date.

This isn't the type of book that has you waiting outside the store for the new shipment to arrive so that you can run in and grab the new issue as quickly as possible and read it right away (that honour is reserved for Brubaker's Daredevil), but when read in trade form the series can best be described as fun and imaginative. It's also pleasant to see a lead female young woman who isn't on some gratuitous search for her sexual identity, but rather is trying to survive in a hostile environment while keeping her sense of humour and excitement. Even though the central catalyst for the story is the same as Battle Pope, this most certainly is not similar in any other way. But I think it's worth picking up the first trade (Issues #1 – 4) and having a read if you'd like to see what can happen to those left behind when God decides to pack everything up and take those that have gone to church every Sunday.

7.5/10 – for this issue
7/10 – for the series so far

Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #16
"1000 & One Years Later" Begins

Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Barry Kitson
Inker: Mick Gray
Colours: Nathan Eyring
Publisher: DC

Reviewed by Ben Marton

Sigh. I’m old.

It’s true. Why am I old? Because I can pick up an issue of a title with a tried and true formula; one I have always enjoyed, written by one of my favourite writers; a man with wonderfully Silver Age sensibilities who has forgotten more super-hero lore than I will ever learn, a title drawn by a relatively consistent artist with a solid grasp of sequential storytelling and featuring a plethora of characters who are, for the most part, endearing and based upon workable ideas and subplot-spawning family dynamics; I can pick up an issue of this title, read it and remain irritated and alienated by its central premise.

In the beginning ‘Legion of Super-Heroes’ (yes, notice the title change as of this month) was a relaunch with much to recommend it, even to a jaded reader who had been kicked in the teeth one too many times by DC of late. Who could resist the attraction of a team of idealistic youngsters one thousand years in the future who overtly celebrate their love for the ancient cult of the super-hero, long since forgotten by the cybernetically neutered intelligentsia? A team that includes subtle twists upon previous incarnations such as a boy from a race of giants whose power is the ability to shrink to comparatively human size, a telepath hailing from a world where generations of under-use have caused the inhabitants’ vocal chords to atrophy and a chameleon who defies gender identification, as is only logical (scratch that last one, however; his companions have inexplicably taken to calling him ‘Chameleon Boy’ now. A giant step backwards). Add a laugh out loud letter column where guest team members appear to respond to letters directly after quoting them (imagine the excitement! Your actual words spoken by Shrinking Violet or Element Lad!) It would appear you have a sure fire spandex hit.

So why the hesitation on the part of this humble reviewer to recommend said title? The equation can be put down to mismatched demographics more than anything else: Every title page now includes a caption which extols the virtue of ‘teaching the adults who’s boss.’

Riiiight.

Those nasty button-down plastic fantastic ancient oppressors are at it again. Fight the power. Don’t trust anyone over twenty. Give me a break. What’s next? Ultra Boy forming a garage band so he can belt out ‘Baba O’Riley’? Several Legionnaires finding themselves stuck in Saturday morning detention and being open about their fears and prejudices while they evade the crotchety old Principal and learn wisdom from the kindly janitor? Come on, Mr. Waid. You are igniting the fires of teen rebellion in a generation whose worst fear is having their iPods confiscated or being banned from watching ‘Pimp My Ride’. While I am, as a rule, loath to cite relevance as a critical factor in my enjoyment of a title, as a drawcard for potential new readers the John Hughes boat has sailed. When the average age of your readers is more than twice that of your central characters, it is well and truly time to drop the bratty posturing. I may be way off beam assuming this bid for reader identification, but, really, exactly what freedoms are left for poor put upon upper middle-class tweens (or whatever they are called this week) to demand? In the space of twenty years we’ve gone from Simple Minds to Simple Plan.

Still, one should be grateful that Mr. Waid is not still playing the ‘we’re so protected and secure and bored we could scream’ card to a generation who have been alerted to the very real possibility of receiving anthrax in the mail. ‘Who will speak for the poor forgotten Britneys and Hilarys and Orlandos?’ isn’t much better as a bid for contemporaneous cultural capital, however. The sudden addition of Supergirl (midriff topped valleygirl version) helps matters little, legacy or no.

The tone is light, snappy patter abounds and decent, quantum level superheroics are the order of the day, so I’m probably being unfair and more than a little subjective, but, Boys and Girls, I’ve given it a lot of thought, and, well, I think I need to get out and see other comics. It’s not you. It’s me.

Rating: 5 out of 10

Superman #215

Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Jim Lee
Publisher: DC

Reviewed by Jess

At last "For Tomorrow" comes to an end and what an anti climatic one it is too.

Throughout the (roughly) 12 months this story has been going for, I've been wondering where this story is going. At times it's been interesting, at others downright boring. I had so much trouble trying to work out what it's all about that Ican't even sum it up in a few sentences here.

I like Brian Azzarello's work on 100 Bullets, but this is nowhere near that quality.

You get the feeling that Jim lee was the bait in which to get people to buy this book and the art is nice but when you have a story that comes across as dull at times you don't really care who's doing the art after all.

Rating: 2 out of 10

The Sacrifice Storyline (review #1)
(Superman #219, Action Comics #829, Adventures Of Superman #642 & Wonder Woman #219)

Writers & Artists: Various
Publisher: DC Comics

Reviewed by Jess

Ever since last year's huge selling mini series Identity Crisis, things have been a little tense between Superman and Wonder Woman. In this 4 part storyline (which ties into the Omac Project mini-series) this tension becomes an all out battle. Superman has been put under control by Maxwell Lord, who has been using Batman's brother eye satellite to spy on the heroes of the DC universe for some months now. When Wonder Woman finds that she cannot break the control of Superman without killing his controller she must make a drastic decision that will change the lives of herself and those around her.

The big criticism of this story was that it ties into Omac Project #4. You can't read that issue without reading this storyline, which is a bit of a cheap ploy used by DC and one this reviewer doesn't believe is necessary or fair. To be honest while each story is standalone, it could have easily been told in the pages of Omac rather than in a 4 part story (which pretty much forces the reader to pick all of it up to read the whole story).

Unless you've already been sampling DC's Infinite Crisis mini-series than I wouldn't recommend picking this up.

Rating: 5 out of 10

The Sacrifice Storyline (review #2)
(Superman #219, Action Comics #829, Adventures Of Superman #642 & Wonder Woman #219)

Writers: Mark Verheiden, Gail Simone, Greg Rucka
Artists: Ed Benes, John Byrne, Karl Kerschl, Rags Morales
Publisher: DC Comics

Reviewed by Jack

After reading Jess’ review of these four books I felt compelled to put my two cents in with an alternative viewpoint. I agree and look forward to reading Jess’ future reviews, but I got to go against him on this one.

I’ve only just started collecting Superman books recently, and what better way to get reacquainted with the character than to see the world’s greatest lose his mind and turn on his friends. And rather than rational thought or Superman having to fight his inner demons to overcome the enemy, one of his greatest allies takes a stand and puts an end to the madness. This was great storytelling when all four parts are looked at as one story. Admittedly, due to a lack of brain-power, I was a little confused at the beginning, not quite knowing where it was all heading, and I was the happier reader for my ignorance. Parts 3 & 4 are what I want to see from these DC characters, and if I never read another DC book again, the last page of Part 4 will do me nicely for a very long time.
I felt no need to rush out and pick up Batman: OMAC #4 to see what happens next (re: Jess’ complaint – and many others on the internet), as I felt that although it may seem like a cliffhanger, the Sacrifice storyline is given closure with the last three panels of Wonder Woman #219.

Comics aren’t cheap, and lord knows I need help with my addiction, but if you’re a fan of the Holy Trinity (Superman – Wonder Woman – Batman) then pick up all four parts and have a read. I’m sure you wont regret it.

Maybe I’m just not cynical enough yet. Thank god for those lack of brain cells.

Verdict 8.5/10

Superman #650
"One Year Later" Begins

Writers: Kurt Busiek & Geoff Johns
Artist: Pete Woods
Publisher: DC

Reviewed by Jess

There is no more Superman.

While his fate so far is unknown to us comic readers, this opening issue written by Kurt Busiek and Geoff Johns tells us that Superman is no more, but unfortunately doesn't say why- possibly because DC has a story of it's own to tell in it's upcoming weekly comic 52 and wants to hook us in.

Other than that, Busiek and Johns create a rather entertaining back to basics story with this first part of a story titled "Up up and away". After being arraigned for heinous crimes against humanity, Lex Luthor is now a free man, but at his company Lexcorp he is no longer a welcome man, after being told that he will be bought out of the company.

While a little wordy at times, this is a pretty good start for Superman post Infinite Crisis, and reminds me of Busiek's other Superman story of years back titled Superman: Secret Identity.

Pete Woods is doing the best art of his career on this title and I only hope he can continue this on future projects afterward. I've read some horrible starts to this One Year Later event, but I'm pleased to say that this looks to be one of the better titles out there.

8 out of 10

Swamp Thing #18

Writer: Joshua Dysart
Cover & Interior Artist: Enrique Breccia
Colourist: Martin Breccia
Publisher: DC/Vertigo

Reviewed by The NewFrontiersman

Some time ago I decided to limit my monthly intake of comics to thirty. It has not been easy and, darnitall, some titles make it near impossible.

'Swamp Thing' possesses a publishing history punctuated by sporadic shifts in quality and frequent bouts of revisionism. This in and of itself is hardly unique within the (in this case loosely defined) superhero genre, of course. However, the misadventures of Alex Holland (or, at least what used to be Alex Holland, or Alex Holland's ghost, or the elemental being welded to his spirit...)provide a unique opportunity and challenge to any writer and artist, allowing them the same potential for shifting morphology of story as the shambling form of the creature itself.

In 'Healing the Breach', the fourth chapter of the 'Seeding Madness' story arc, messieurs Dysart and Breccia lovingly craft a tale of eco-exploitation and petty human jealousies twisting the potential of our simultaneous scientific and spiritual development awry. On the surface it concerns the interrogation of our titular hero by the malformed, cybernetic mockery of a once great biology professor who turns out to be the servant of the Seed Gatherer, a withered foetus-like being who believes himself to be channelling the spirit of Johnny Appleseed (complete with tin skillet perched on his corpulent head) and is in fact instigating a monstrous inversion of that folk-hero's quest, a kind of corrupt devolution, as evidenced by the recurring motif of embryos, wombs and amniotic sacs. The Seed Gatherer intends to deliver control of 'The Green' via his prisoner to a shadowy international cartel, represented here by soulless datastreamed visages; a cliche to be sure, but one which still has the power to create chills.

The main plot thread is juxtaposed with the memories of one Jordan Schiller, a onetime contemporary of Alex Holland at the dawn of a new era in biotechnology who senses the coming storm with the election of president Nixon. His name is ironic; no corporate shill is he, and he walks away from a potentially lucrative partnership with Alec, albeit not primarily because of superior ethics, but due to resentment over their building love triangle with Linda. Back in the present Jordan lingers, a broken man and spectre haunting himself, whose search for redemption strikes just the right note of pathos. Here Dysart vivisects the heart which pumps 'Swamp Thing's dramatic lifeblood; the echoes of potential enlightenment blown apart by human frailty and venal compromise.

The delicacy and skill with which Dysart ushers the tale through its dramatic art has much to recommend it, from the ominous, chorus-like prologue with its flashes of non-linear story elements to a coda which encapsulates the complexity of (please excuse the pun)the issue at hand. The writing continues a much-loved tradition of 'Swamp Thing' by indulging the richness of language while incorporating a timely message. Louisiana's fetid interior, teeming with both life and corruption, is evoked marvelously by the sumptuous linework and coagulent inks of Enrique Breccia, which recall Duncan Fegredo, one of the Vertigo pioneers.

Well, the seed certainly has been planted in me. As I rush off to check on my trade paperback budget and attempt to clear a space in my regular list of must-haves, I bid you adieu from the roiling, seeping miasma of 'Swamp Thing', Vertigo's pulsing green heart.

Rating: 10 out of 10

 

Swamp Thing #21

Writer: Joshua Dysart
Artist: Enrique Breccia
Colours: Martin Breccia
Cover Art: Eric Powell
Publisher: DC Comics

Reviewed by Ben Marton

With issue twenty-one begins a new story arc in the latest instalment of the saga of Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson’s marvellous, mellifluous and macabre creation. Appropriately entitled ‘The Bleeding Raconteur’, the story begins with the introduction of a shaggy front-porch chorus in the form of a charming old geezer who presents us with the ever-reliable ‘come children and I will tell you a tale’ moment while simultaneously cradling a shotgun; the last line of defense before a legion of landscape chewing dozers and earth-movers ready to chow down on his house. Cliché, you nervously ask? Well, yes, as far as it goes, but somehow ‘Swamp Thing’ stands as one of a handful of titles with enough in the plus column to successfully fend off any accusations of over-reliance upon some well-trodden backroads.

Abigail, Professor Alec Holland’s one-time paramour is soon re-introduced for some satisfying internal monologue, speaking to the ‘ghost’ of Alec about their tempestuous daughter who, it turns out, is a snip off the old bud. The tale soon finds its direction with a return to the titular storyteller and the Swamp Thing’s attempts to lure him away from what is perceived as a lost cause, all other domiciles around his having already fallen beneath corporate tread. The interesting aspect of this confrontation is the sense that our favourite Green Elemental plays one of his stronger character elements: the deity turning away from his followers and his responsibilities. When the kindly Raconteur is besieged, however, the suddenly, frighteningly literal stories of which he is composed become a little too corporeal for our fragile plane and what was whimsical musing about the power of tall tales becomes a tidal wave of voracious, toothsome genies from a broken bottle. And Alec and Abigail? Ah, but that would be telling…

A wonderfully sumptuous Vintage Vertigo feeling permeates this book; it hearkens back to a time before DC’s grownups’ corner was inundated with tiresome gonzo journalism and the hilarity of ugly failed suicides. Enrique Breccia dishes out fetid while pulling back on the murky, his confident linework mapping out bold, daring story turns which incorporate winsome nymphs and walking nightmares. While a relatively minor quibble is Breccia’s difficulty with portraying moments more kinetic (far too many speed lines for a comic without the words ‘man’, ‘force’ or ‘X’ in the title), his unashamedly wide slashes of ink have a nice Bisley-esque quality to them. As for Joshua Dysart’s plotting, originality must of a necessity be at a premium in an ongoing monthly medium, and bearing this slight caveat in mind I have nothing but admiration for a writer classy enough to mine Clive Barker territory (‘The Great and Secret Show’ was always a favourite). The dialogue stays just this side of overly expository and self-declaratory while the first-person narration distances the reader from the main action enough to weave delicious mystery.

Following some curious, powerfully tonal bridging issues, part one of ‘The Bleeding Raconteur’ secures ‘Swamp Thing’s place in my Chosen Thirty for another month; for potential new readers, consider it a most worthy jumping-on point. Slip through the creaking door while it is still ajar, but consider yourself warned: Once these roots burrow under your skin…

Rating: 8 out of 10

Swamp Thing #26

Writer: Joshua Dysart
Artist: Jock
Publisher: DC / Vertigo

Reviewed by Jack

I must confess that I had never read an issue or story of Swamp Thing before until this particular one. And hopefully a regular reader will inform me that this theme is not a consistent one. Not that it was bad, quite the contrary. What I do know of the title character is that he’s big and covered in stuff you’d find in a swamp (hey, I never finished Uni, okay). As far as personality or abilities, I’ve always guessed he was a cross between the Hulk and The Beast (as in Beauty and…) – extremely powerful but with a softer side. Well, this issue definitely highlights his softer side and the creative team of Josh Dysart and Jock successfully portray a caring and compassionate yet vulnerable Swamp Thing the likes of which you don’t normally find in a Vertigo title.

The issue itself doesn’t tell us whether or not it’s a ‘Part whatever of whatever’ but there’s more than enough information in the dialogue to let a savvy reader know what’s happened before #26. Simply put, Swamp Thing has helped some natives of the swamp only to find out that one of them has perished unbeknownst to him. Using his ‘godlike’ powers he goes on a spiritual journey (beautifully painted by Jock) reliving the perished one’s short life. There’s also a girl, and a bad guy (as there always is) which helps to lead into the next issue, but the focus here is reflection and the joy of life – no matter how short it may be.

This issue reminded me a lot of Atomika and the journey that that lead character goes through. But this team has definitely got the edge both in art and story and it just serves to make me more anxious to read Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing from the 80’s.

Rating: 7.5/10

Supreme Power #14 (#15 cover shown)

Writer: J.Michael Stracysnki
Artist: Gary Frank
Publisher: Marvel MAX

Warning: This is a MAX title. Some Graphic Content and Story.

Reviewed by Jess

Supreme Power is apparently one of the best books out on the comic book market right now and after reading this latest issue I can certainly see why.

A killer has been using prostitutes and then dismembering them. This prompts Hyperion to investigate and leads to a furious battle with Hyperion determined to take down this killer. Unfortunately, Hyperion finds this being more than his match and learns the hard way (through numerous casualties) that being a hero is not an easy job.

10 out of 10